In its continuous efforts to combat breast cancer, the leading cancer among women in the country, the Federal Government has signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Roche Pharmaceuticals.
The partnership, called the African Breast Cancer Initiative (ABCA), seeks to pool resources from the Federal Government, the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), the World Health Organization (WHO), and Roche, to advance early diagnosis, research, treatment, and palliative care for breast cancer.
With reported 32,000 new breast cancer cases in 2022, largely underrepresented and marked by high mortality rates due to late-stage diagnosis, the initiative aims to shift outcomes from the current “one in two” mortality rate to “four in five” breast cancer patients surviving beyond five years, aligning with results seen in developed nations.
The MoU was signed in Abuja during the commemoration of the International Cancer Week (ICW) organised by NICRAT, signalling an escalation in cancer response efforts on Tuesday.
Speaking at the event, Prof. Ali Pate, Health and Social Welfare Coordinating Minister, restated the government’s focus on cancer prevention, early detection, treatment, and research.
The minister outlined expanded early detection programmes, including HPV and HBV vaccinations, which are making strides, and emphasised the need for broader access to screening tools, like mammograms, colonoscopies, and PSA tests.
He said the government would establish six major cancer treatment centres – two to be operational by May 2025 as hubs for diagnostics, treatment, and oncology workforce training – aiming to turn previously fatal diagnoses into manageable or curable conditions.
Pate urged the National Assembly to increase funding for infrastructure, equipment, healthcare staffing, and financial support for patients.
The minister stressed the importance of affordable cancer care to alleviate individual and national economic burdens.
Explaining the essence of the MoU to Nigerian women, NICRAT’s Director General, Prof. Usman Aliyu, said: “The ABCA initiative aims to transform Nigeria’s breast cancer outcomes, where survival rates lag behind higher-income countries. While early stage diagnosis in the West yields a survival rate of 80 per cent, the survival rate in Nigeria is significantly lower due to late diagnosis and limited access to care.
“This partnership emphasizes early detection through widespread screening and awareness campaigns, which will be funded collaboratively by the Nigerian government, Roche, and WHO.
“Early diagnosis would lower treatment costs, reduce the need for complex surgeries, and ultimately decrease breast cancer mortality and morbidity in Nigeria.”
Also speaking, Ladi Hameed, the General Manager of Roche Nigeria, said parts of the MoU are already in progress and affirmed the organization’s commitment to the partnership and expanding the catastrophe fund, especially for cancer, patient equipment, care, and palliative support.
WHO’s Country Representative Walter Mulombo said cancer is preventable through awareness, early detection, and diagnosis.
Represented by Deputy Country Representative Alex Chimbaru, Mulombo said cancer treatment should be made accessible and affordable.
Reflecting on a year of progress in Nigeria’s cancer battle, the President-elect of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), Mrs. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu, described the declaration of cancer as a notifiable disease and the standardisation of cancer registration aimed at enhancing improved data accuracy as milestones.
